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Kombucha culture

Kombucha culture is a microbial starter for fermenting sweetened tea, transferred with fermented liquid and sometimes accompanied by a cellulose pellicle.

Kombucha culture — illustrative ingredient image

About Kombucha culture

Kombucha culture is the microbial starter used to ferment sweetened tea into kombucha. It is commonly transferred between batches along with some fermented liquid, and is sometimes sold as a wet culture or starter kit. It is a fermentation input, not the finished kombucha beverage.

The culture may include a rubbery, gelatinous cellulose layer, often called a pellicle, together with the liquid containing the fermenting organisms. Appearance, thickness and colour can vary with age and batch conditions. Commercial starters may include liquid without a visible pellicle, so the exact product form matters.

Ingredient type
whole food

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Where kombucha culture appears

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Name examples awaiting language review. Confirm the specific food or product.

Local names for kombucha culture

Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.

English

kombucha SCOBY

Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.

Kombucha culture nutrition & diet

Kombucha culture nutritional value

Representative benchmark: Tea, black, bag

Representative nutrition benchmarkOfficial table values for a comparable food category, not a laboratory measurement of this exact ingredient.

Per 100 g of 100 g edible portion in the named official reference form.

Calories
290kcal
Protein
20.3g
Carbs
27.5g
Fat
2.5g

Representative benchmark from a comparable official food-composition category; it is not a laboratory measurement of this exact ingredient. The displayed reference form must be considered, and species, cultivar, recipe, brand, processing and preparation can change values.

A culture or starter liquid is not nutritionally comparable to finished kombucha or sweetened tea; its composition depends on the starter medium and fermentation stage.

Dietary compatibility

  • Vegan
    Not established
  • Vegetarian
    Not established
  • Pescatarian
    Not established
  • Keto
    Not established
  • Paleo
    Not established
  • Low-carb
    Not established
  • Halal
    Not established
  • Kosher
    Not established
What these diet assessments mean
Vegan · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Vegetarian · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Pescatarian · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Keto · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Paleo · Not established
The ingredient form and processing have not been assessed against this dietary pattern.
Low-carb · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Halal · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish halal status.
Kosher · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish kosher status.

For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.

Reviewed ingredient entryIngredient reference · Preparations vary

AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.

Sources & review

Nutrition reference: Pacific Nutrient Database 2020 — 01.2.3.0.2_01 ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.

Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.

The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.

Last recorded verification: .